Naga: ENPO not decided on statehood "demand"

Kohima, July 20: The Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organization(ENPO) today clarified that it has not decided anything on its ''demand'' for separate statehood, as reported by a Delhi-based news agency.

In a release here, ENPO President Phowang Konyak said that it was an 'open secret' that they had a discussion in this regard, but they have not made any concrete resolution for demanding separate statehood status for the four districts of Nagaland, which includes Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng, nor do they have prepared or submitted any demand document to the state government.

''It is their imagination. How can they produce such a report without investigating the truth in it,'' Mr Phowang said while refuting the news item 'purportedly emanated from an Indian intelligence analysis report'.

He also said that if at all such a decision had been made, they had no reason to hide it and would have made it known through the media and would be carried out peacefully without affecting anyone, least of all peace talks.

UNI